A very sunny and productive Friday!

Friday was a great day at the sawmill. Everyone was busy, and the sun was out as an added bonus. We wish the warm weather lasted a few days longer. Here are some wonderful pictures we wanted to share!

Trucker off-loading more "Sandy Logs"

John working on the power unit

Glen preparing some tools for the day

John instructing one of our key men

Lloyd and Bruce laying out base for the conveyor 

Beautifully unique urban logs

Willem working on the metal detector system

Sawing large diameter logs on the Mighty Might

Survived Snow Storm Nemo!

We are very happy that snow storm Nemo has passed- even though we got hit with quite a bit of snow, this is considered nothing compared to folks further north who got over 2'! As you know, we love pictures of our logs covered in snow- they look so beautiful, so here is another one to check out! Some CitiLog workers put in a few hours on Saturday in order to clear the paths of snow so log trucks can still access our sawmill to drop off logs.

Good thing most of our machinery, such as the main saw, is protected by our hoop structure so we are still able to saw. This great picture was taken by Bryce, CitiLog Employee. An upcycled tree sawn into industrial board- fresh off of the saw!

CitiLog Article in The Hunterdon County Democrat

Thank you Rick Epstein and The Hunterdon County Democrat for a great article! It is great to have people sharing in our vision and helping spread the word.

Read it here

A Visit from Prudential

Today, we were lucky enough to have Cindy Hu from Prudential visit the Newark sawmill and see the saw running! This is a very exciting and pivotal event in CitiLog's journey of upcycling urban logs.

Cindy Hu, Manager of Social Investments for Prudential, entering the saw cab to watch the saw run!

Offloading the sawn logs

More logs loaded on the feed deck to be sawn

Main Saw

Our main saw is up and running at CitiLog Newark!

Main Saw Running at Newark

The Main Saw is Running!

CitiLog Ordinance in Secaucus, NJ

CitiLog team members met with Mayor Gonnelli of Secaucus, NJ for the signing of an ordinance that states all "good" wood in the city must go to CitiLog Newark's sawmill to be upcycled. The ordinance is part of Secaucus' Upcycling initiative. The vote for the ordinance was unanimous, and CitiLog is proud to be working with Mayor Gonnelli and the town of Secaucus!

Upcycled Urban Wood Waste Transformed into New Garden Beds

New Garden Beds at Fountain Park, Secaucus, NJ

Locally harvested urban hardwood was upcycled and transformed into rustic garden beds at Secaucus, New Jersey's Fountain Park. The upcycled urban garden beds will not only act as a decorative element within the park, but will also serve as an educational model within the community to represent the importance of upcycling and sustainable practices.

Thank you to the Town of Secaucus and Mayor Gonnelli for supporting our efforts in upcycling urban trees!

Hoop Structure Install at CitiLog Newark!

Yesterday, fabric was installed over the new hoop structure at CitiLog Newark! The hoop structure will house all sawmill equipment, and will provide shelter for the workers during the hot summer months. CitiLog Newark is quickly approaching completion! Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of our site!

The start of CitiLog Newark's Hoop Structure

 Fabric on the Hoop Structure

 Fabric installed on the Hoop Structure

Inside the Hoop Structure 

CitiLog Newark Announcement

We are excited to announce CitiLog Newark’s ribbon cutting ceremony is set for July 31^st! The site is progressing quickly as new loads of material are being delivered daily.

Willem Separating New Truckloads 

Truckload Being Delivered at Our Newark Sawmill

Another Load Being Delivered!

CitiLog has also taken the first step in their community-based outreach program by hiring four new employees who are considered disadvantaged youth. These new CitiLog employees will receive training in OSHA work safety skills, as well as knowledge of all sawmill equipment, and operating skills.

CitiLog's Matt & Stubby Preparing For Interviews

Stay tuned for more updates on CitiLog Newark!

Arbor Day at CitiLog Newark

CitiLog's Stubby Warmbold & John Sowell Being Filmed By Our Documentary Makers

CitiLog Team Members!

Logs at the Newark Facility

Arbor Day, April 27th is a special day for CitiLog Newark! Originating in Nebraska City, Nebraska by J. Sterling Morton. Arbor Day is a holiday in which people are encouraged to plant and care for trees. At CitiLog we are doing our part by “giving new life” to trees that are no longer wanted due to removal for new construction, or have proven dangerous because of the overgrown size and neglect. We are blessed to be able to take these trees and upcycle them. Upcycling is taking something that is considered waste and turning it into something of greater use or value. CitiLog takes these trees and manufactures them into finished wooden products. Whether it be industrial such as trailer decking or pallet components, or finished wooden log benches; CitiLog can meet any of your individual needs. For CitiLog, it is important to show good stewardship to the land as it is a sin to waste this natural resource. After all, if it wasn’t for Mother Nature, we wouldn’t be here today! Our site has been open for nearly 9 months. Here some photos of our current progress.

Introducing CitiLog Newark

So what happens to those trees that come down in cities due to storms, construction or hazard?

We've got a solution that takes this tree "waste" and turns it into valuable product locally! After years of hard work the horizon is here and we're looking to manufacture wood products, produce renewable energy, provide permanent green collar jobs, including job training for disadvantaged youth and we're local to boot!

We're going to be collecting downed trees in the area from tree services, municipalities, utilities, Recycle America and construction and demolition jobs. We'll divert this raw material from the waste stream by hauling it to our Newark Urban Sawmill and turn that waste into finished product. These products will include commercial wood products, industrial wood products, heat and power and of course our one of a kind upcycling standard where we take your downed trees and turn them into a custom finished product. (www.citilogs.com) Our products include everything from flooring, molding, cabinetry, and custom furniture to your pallet parts, railroad ties, and tree stakes.

There are excellent social and environmental benefits to this endeavor. Socially, the Sawmill

will employ 56 men and women to stimulate local employment. A huge effort will be put into the job training for disadvantaged youth as we set out to equip young men and women in prisoner re-entry programs. This training will provide them with OSHA work safety skills, knowledge of chainsaw and mill equipment, as well as forklift and finger-jointery operating skills. The long term goal is to make our youth more marketable with their acquired skills for multiple jobs in related fields. The program will also supply each participant with a documented work history including evaluations and an opportunity to continue employment with CitiLog.

Environmentally, all material will come from the waste stream. We will not intentionally take trees down to maintain feedstock. By using these trees as product we are diverting them from contributing to the already overfilling landfills. Carbon is sequestered in all of our products by elongating the life of the tree. We strive to achieve carbon neutrality on site as we produce sustainable energy with a fiber-fueled CHP system. The site is set out to achieve LEED Platinum.

We're excited to get this ball rolling as there is a long road ahead of us! Stay tuned for updates!